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The next triennial meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP18), also known as the World Wildlife Conference, will be held in Geneva at the Exhibition and Congress Centre - Palexpo this August.

CITES seeks to ensure that international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival in the wild. The 2019 conference will adopt a wide range of decisions to expand and strengthen the global wildlife trade regime. A key highlight will be the 57 proposals that governments have submitted for changing the levels of protection afforded to over 500 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and plants.

This press release gives a detailed overview of the main issues at CoP18.

Media accreditation

To cover the conference on-site, please see the media accreditation procedures and form posted here. We would like to draw your attention to the following extra logistical measures, which have been put in place for security reasons:

Media representatives who already registered online (and have been accredited) for CITES CoP18: You do not need to register again. Please bring your “priority pass” to have your CoP18 pass issued.

UN-accredited journalists who are not registered: You will need to register on-site and obtain a CoP18 pass for accessing Palexpo. Please bring your UN press pass with you, which will facilitate your registration process.

Other media representatives and journalists who are not registered: You will need to register and receive accreditation before we can issue a CoP18 pass for accessing Palexpo. Please bring your ID and register on-site. The accreditation process may take some time, depending on the availability of our press officers.

Press briefing

The room for press briefings is co-located with the media centre, which is close to Room ABC (Plenary & Committee I, see the map). The schedule of press briefings will be made available later.

Filming is only allowed for the first 10 minutes of the morning, afternoon or evening sessions of the meetings of the plenary and Committee I and II. Filming of meetings of the working groups or side events will need the prior approval of the chairs of the working groups or the organizers of the side events.

Media are invited to film only the opening ceremony and must remove the cameras when the Minister leaves and before the official business begins with the election of the meeting officers.